Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,
Greetings to you in the name of the One True Lord who is Jesus the Christ!
As we have come through another week, I hope that you are each staying safe and well. As for me, I, am doing fine but have had several unexpected things come up during the week, including having my daughter and son- in-law with their three children staying with me for several days. They had a power outage due to Isaias and were unable to remain at home. Most of all I’m grateful that they are safe! One of the things we’ve all been discussing during our time together is what to do about return to school and how safe it will be to place children in nursery school/day care. I know that many of our families with children/grandchildren and those of us with connections to children through friends and neighbors, are also struggling with how to provide for children’s education while keeping them safe. Clearly, the early reports from states where children have already returned to school cause some concern as spikes in infection occur. The truth remains that there is much we don’t know yet about COVID and our wisest course of action is to continue to take the recommended precautions, seriously. This includes social distancing, hand washing, wearing a mask and avoiding others when we or they aren’t feeling well. We will all have to see how things unfold as we hope for a vaccination and more medical information to protect ourselves and others. As teachers, staff, children and parents prepare to return to school in a few weeks, let’s remember to pray for them and for our communities as we continue to find ways to address this situation, safely.
I also know that some of us are uncertain about returning to worship at this time while others are very anxious to get back to church and reconnect with friends in worship. Let me be very clear that no one should feel uncomfortable about participating in worship in whatever way makes them most comfortable – including remaining at home, livestreaming or engaging in worship online. This is a personal decision with many implications for each individual based on their health and comfort. That said, here is an update regarding our reopening. First, our reopening protocols have been approved by the District Superintendent and were sent to each member of the congregation for you to read. They are also on our church webpage. Included with the protocols is a brief survey which we are asking you to complete and return to the church office by August 15th. The survey will help us to better understand your feelings and thoughts about our reopening, including any concerns you want to share. We are still working on getting all the technology in place and continue to prepare for projected worship, live streaming and links to the webpage. I am hopeful that we can have everything done very soon so that we can reopen before the end of August. There are also a few remaining things to be completed by the trustees to ready the building for our return, including placement of hand sanitizers and signage, moving the piano and placement of the screens in the sanctuary. By the way, we are using stands for the screens so that they will be completely movable and will not be affixed to any sanctuary walls or pillars. As soon as all the ongoing work is completed, an announcement will be made with a reopening date for our worship time together. I am very excited as I look forward to being with you again and to share with you in this next phase of our journey together!
As we continue to navigate the COVID realities, I ask that we continue to hold one another in prayer and support. I am deeply impressed at the connections and bonds that have continued to remain strong among us during this time. I am also impressed with the emphasis on ministry that remains the focus of the congregation, even during these times of incredible challenge. Thank you for all that you are doing to stay faithful to the Gospel!
And now, remember that I love you and I need you to survive!
Peace,
Betsy
